Behringer Model D ship dates keep slipping

[Synthoid]

even the crickets that were chirping got tired and went home to get some rest.

 

[video:youtube]

 

 

 

[mate stubb]

Well, I guess Behringer doesn't get the coveted Amazingly Fast Customer Service Reward. I wrote them on Tuesday and got an automated response saying they would respond within one (1) day...it's now been three (3) days and even the crickets that were chirping got tired and went home to get some rest.

 

Grey

 

No, you don't get it. Their response saying they would respond is their response.

[GRollins]

If we're using their automated response time, then, yeah...they did pretty well...like 0.39 mS or so. If a human-generated response was the desired result, then the clock is still ticking. (Not that I necessarily expect an answer on a Saturday, but I routinely get responses from Gibson on Sundays, so you never know--seems like that's Gibson's "catch up on mail" day.)

 

It'd still be kinda nice to be able to download an owner's manual.

 

Grey

[Al Coda]

 

...like 0.39 mS or so. If a human-generated response was the desired result, then the clock is still ticking.

 

That difference is what I call latency.

 

Maybe some human driver issue or IRQ sharing might be the culprit.

 

 

A.C.

[Markyboard]

... I routinely get responses from Gibson on Sundays, so you never know--seems like that's Gibson's "catch up on mail" day.)

Grey

 

Thanks for the heads up. I was wondering when I might get a response to my email that starts and ends with

 

Dear Gibson:

F*ck you!

[Markay]

... I routinely get responses from Gibson on Sundays, so you never know--seems like that's Gibson's "catch up on mail" day.)

Grey

 

Thanks for the heads up. I was wondering when I might get a response to my email that starts and ends with

 

Dear Gibson:

F*ck you!

 

Maybe Gibson only browse their spam folder on the 4th Sunday of the month.

[GRollins]

...And speaking of Behringer synths...

 

The Model D ship date has gone from 1/5/18 to 1/12/18 at Musician's Friend.

 

Be sure to stay tuned for our next exciting episode of As The Behringer Turns!

 

Grey

[GRollins]

Oh, and I still haven't heard back from Behringer. I wrote them on 11/28 (a Tuesday, in case you were wondering) and got an automated reply that said they would respond "within one business day." Maybe they take an unusually long holiday break...like, from Thanksgiving to New Years, leading to their first business day being 1/2/18.

 

In the meantime, the crickets have died of old age. Their grandchildren are far more cynical and refuse to chirp for anyone.

 

Grey

[GRollins]

Today is 12/15/17--the day my Behringer Model D was supposed to ship, as of the day I ordered it.

 

Guys & gals, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but we're gonna have to pool our pennies and buy an entire popcorn factory. Our first acquisition when we get around to diversifying should probably be a cricket farm.

 

Why, you ask?

 

Well, it's like this--as of 05:05 this morning, Musician's Friend says the anticipated shipping date for the Behringer Model D is...wait for it...

 

3/1/18

 

I mean, like, wow. Holy cow.

 

I'm all for looking on the bright side: At least my credit card hasn't been charged, right? And it will give us conversational fodder for a while. A long while.

 

For the record, as of this moment:

Sweetwater says: "The Behringer D analog synthesizer module is expected to begin shipping in early 2018...we'll get ready to ship your Behringer D as early as we can!"

 

Guitar Center says: 1/12/18 (interesting--in the past they've tracked more closely with MF [they're the same company]--I'm going to assume that their website simply hasn't been updated yet.)

 

So what's Behringer say? They ain't sayin' nuthin'. Mum's the word. They still don't admit that the thing exists.

 

Wonder if Santa will be able to bring me one this time next year.

 

Grey

[dje31]

Maybe Behringer, being a European company, is simply using the European standard for date format...as in 3 January, 2018?

 

Doubt it, but hey, hope springs eternal.

 

This is why, years ago, I personally adopted the computer standard, which is also commonly used in Japan and other Asian areas: YYYY.MM.DD

[GRollins]

The longer the delays go on, the more it tips the scales towards problems with the unit, rather than simple production bottlenecks. I remember seeing a shipping date in November, for sure, although I don't remember the specific date. I have a vague notion (possibly wrong) that there was at least one target shipping date as early as October. If they were actually producing working Model Ds, however slowly, we'd have seen a few in the field by now.

 

As mentioned before, there are two basic categories for problems with the unit itself: hardware or software. By hardware, I mean the electronics, not the sheet metal, knobs, or wooden end caps. Those should all be fairly straightforward sourcing matters.

 

However...I would like to introduce a dark horse candidate for the delay: A cease & desist order from Moog to Behringer.

 

I'm not sure what nature this would take. The patents have long since expired. You could argue about trademarks, perhaps, but calling it simply a "D" should be a simple enough work-around. Moog has never made any sort of non-keyboard version of the Model (like the Voyager RME) that I know of, though perhaps that information simply didn't filter over into my world as a bass player. Assuming that to be the case, I can't see that a lawyer could argue that there would be product confusion in the marketplace. But lawyers are inventive people and they may have come up with an angle they think will work.

 

Ironically, should a cease & desist order be what's behind the delays, I'd be just as happy to see Moog win, even if it meant that I wouldn't get my Behringer D. Sure, it'd be fun to have a cheap Model D clone, but I'd actually root for the home team (Moog Central is just an hour or two up the road from me). I like the company and want them to stay afloat.

 

What we need is a Wikileaks regarding synth secrets.

 

Grey

[GRollins]

This made me chuckle: Just got a Backorder Notification from Musician's Friend regarding the Model D:

 

"We have yet to receive the out of stock item(s) noted below, but we have more on order with the manufacturer. We will ship them to you as soon as we receive them. We sincerely appreciate your patience."

 

That's about the fourth one of those, so far.

 

I don't think it's worth speculating about the word "more," although it seems to imply that they received some at some earlier point in time. It'll just be a boilerplate letter that they send out when something can't be shipped.

 

Well at least MF is communicating with us, even if Behringer can't be bothered to do so. (Still no reply to my query with Behringer, though they promised a response within one business day. Nothing public that I'm aware of, though if they tweet or something I'll be the last to know--don't have a Twitter account.)

 

Grey

[TomKittel]

Glad I went for the Roland SE02. I received it three month ago. Love it. The first batch was sold out very quickly in Europe.

[GRollins]

Brag, brag, brag...

 

(Man, if this goes on much longer, I may join you in that decision.)

 

Grey

[GovernorSilver]

Saw this blog post, and thought of the one person on the forum who cares about this thing.

 

Who will get one first? US or European customers?

http://www.synthanatomy.com/2017/12/finally-behringer-model-d-is-available-now-for-pre-order-in-europe-availability-in-mid-january.html

[GRollins]

Judging from a Behringer Model D thread I saw here a couple of months ago, there's a lot of interest in this li'l booger. I'd be quite surprised if I'm the only one here who put in an order. I'm more than willing to take point, keeping track of the weirdness surrounding The Phantom Model D, even if it leads to others being amused at my expense.

 

Me? I find it rather odd that Behringer--say what you will about their track record as a company--would handle things the way they have. In my own way, I'm deriving amusement by trying to fit the random pieces of the puzzle together.

 

Grey

[GovernorSilver]

On another forum, somebody brought up nostalgia, and I thought of the curious practicing of relicing in the guitarist community, which led to a side business idea - a Moog clone relicing service!

 

For a reasonable fee, I will scratch, dent, etc. your Moog clone to make it look old! As my business expands, I'll offer more service options like the Keith Emerson Special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(... "only person interested" was a joke....)

[GRollins]

You're gonna need a lot of knives for that Keith Emerson Special, but I daresay that you're going to have a lot of fun producing them. Good for lowering frustration levels.

 

(Fantasize your ex-boss/spouse/what have you...Take that and that and that...)

 

Grey

[WesG]

The longer the delays go on, the more it tips the scales towards problems with the unit, rather than simple production bottlenecks.

 

It might also have something to do with the new assembly line they were supposed to bring online in Oct or Nov of this year. Unfortunately, I can't find any information re. what was supposed to be assembled on it, or if they finished yet. I do recall hearing it was behind schedule.

[GRollins]

When I was a kid, the letters "LOL" meant "Lots Of Luck." Now I gather that it means "Laugh Out Loud."

 

Musician's Friend currently says 1/12/18 (again)

 

"LOL"

 

And I mean it both ways...

 

Grey

 

P.S.: Where's my bloody popcorn? This is like some sort of sports game thingy, where the ball moves up and down the field/calendar. "My" team is on this end of the calendar. The opposition keeps trying to move the date to the far end. To be honest, I think the other team's winning. You say we're out of popcorn? Ate it all up? Really? Rats. Got any corn chips? Beer? If there's no beer left, can I have a wee dram of single malt?

[WesG]

Or maybe it's related to the strike.

 

Isn't speculation fun?

 

http://www.clb.org.hk/content/factory-workers-zhongshan-protest-dangerous-working-conditions

[GovernorSilver]

You're gonna need a lot of knives for that Keith Emerson Special, but I daresay that you're going to have a lot of fun producing them. Good for lowering frustration levels.

 

Yes, that is why I won't be able to offer it as a service initially. First I have to grow my company, expand staff and resources, etc. before I can offer the special at a true Artisanal level of service.

[GRollins]

Or maybe it's related to the strike.

 

Isn't speculation fun?

 

http://www.clb.org.hk/content/factory-workers-zhongshan-protest-dangerous-working-conditions

 

Yikes. Looks like you're onto something. That's not just a random strike, it's one that directly affects Behringer. The date on the article is back in August, but that could definitely be relevant, even if things have since been resolved. If they're not resolved, then I'd say you might have hit the nail on the head.

 

I'm short on time at the moment, but I'll try to get back to this later.

 

Thanks.

 

Grey

[mate stubb]

Grey: you are obsessing.

 

[video:youtube]

[GRollins]

Yes, that is why I won't be able to offer it as a service initially. First I have to grow my company, expand staff and resources, etc. before I can offer the special at a true Artisanal level of service.

 

Keith Emerson probably single-handedly depleted the world supply of Hammonds by 10% by destroying them during concerts. I'm not sure that's a good thing.

 

I was never a big fan of tearing up equipment, a la Pete Townshend smashing guitars or Keith stabbing Hammonds with knives. I always cringe when that sort of thing goes on, but there are people who love it.

 

Grey

[GRollins]

Grey: you are obsessing.

 

If some is good, then more is better, and too much is just enough!

 

There was a time when I could have obsessed just a little teeny tiny bit about Cher.

 

Did you pick up some beer on the way over?

 

Grey

[GRollins]

I've just realized something--the dateline on the article provided by WesG was 8/12/17, yet the strike it references took place on 12/6.

 

Possibilities:

1) Time is non-linear in China. Come to think of it, this sounds plausible.

2) The strike took place last year (or even earlier) and they took sixteen months to report it. Shame.

3) Their technology is so advanced that they've developed a time machine and can report on the future.

 

Eurotec Electronics also makes products for Brentwood Appliances (kitchen stuff--can be found at Walmart), in fact, Brentwood appears to dominate their output. As far as I can tell Music Group/Behringer does not own Eurotec. This tends to lean towards my outsourcing hypothesis.

 

And in other news...

MF is now back to saying 3/1/17.

 

The opposition is winning. Boo. Hiss.

 

Pass the corn chips.

 

Grey

[Tom Williams]

Keith Emerson probably single-handedly depleted the world supply of Hammonds by 10% by destroying them during concerts. I'm not sure that's a good thing.

He didn't break the good ones -- it was only spinets without scanner chorus. A, B, and C models were probably too heavy to pull down on top of himself.

[Markay]

I've just realized something--the dateline on the article provided by WesG was 8/12/17, yet the strike it references took place on 12/6.

 

Possibilities:

1) Time is non-linear in China. Come to think of it, this sounds plausible.

2) The strike took place last year (or even earlier) and they took sixteen months to report it. Shame.

3) Their technology is so advanced that they've developed a time machine and can report on the future.

 

Eurotec Electronics also makes products for Brentwood Appliances (kitchen stuff--can be found at Walmart), in fact, Brentwood appears to dominate their output. As far as I can tell Music Group/Behringer does not own Eurotec. This tends to lean towards my outsourcing hypothesis.

 

And in other news...

MF is now back to saying 3/1/17.

 

The opposition is winning. Boo. Hiss.

 

Pass the corn chips.

 

Grey

 

These Model D threads have more fantasy and mangled facts that any thread at KC in living memory.

 

Here is the quote from the first para:

 

" 08/12/2017

 

About one hundred workers at Eurotec Electronics in the southern manufacturing city of Zhongshan went on strike on 6 December in protest at dangerous working conditions. See photo below."

 

So to be clear the article is dated the 8th of December discussing an event that occurred on the 6th of December.

 

So time in China works the same as it does in the rest of the world.

[mate stubb]

Keith Emerson probably single-handedly depleted the world supply of Hammonds by 10% by destroying them during concerts. I'm not sure that's a good thing.

He didn't break the good ones -- it was only spinets without scanner chorus. A, B, and C models were probably too heavy to pull down on top of himself.

 

Exactly. The world is not pining for more L-100s. I think hundreds of thousands were built.